Nine emergency blue light towers currently exist in Stamford’s public parks as a safety measure. In the last five years, Stamford has spent $223,000 to install the infrastructure, and Director of Public Safety Ted Jankowski is hoping to install four more around the city. LMT Online reported that Jankowski had proposed a $90,000 budget to the Stamford Planning Board as it prepares the capital projects budget for the next fiscal year.
City officials initiated the blue light program, including emergency telephones and surveillance cameras, after the 2015 rape of a jogger at Cove Island Park. According to Jankowski, the victim could not call for help because she didn’t have her cell phone. “It was very difficult because there were no cameras at the location; it was an isolated area,” Jankowski told the planning board last week.
“The success of this program has led to other representatives and other individuals requesting [cameras] to be brought into their districts. Again, it brings a level of safety.”
The blue light towers enable users to connect with a 911 dispatcher, who can monitor the situation on the ground via a 360-degree camera attached to the tower, reported LMT Online.
“If somebody was in trouble … if they get to the blue light emergency phone tower, it automatically opens up in our dispatch center,” said Jankowski. “Our dispatchers, as well as our police supervisor, can see what’s going on in real-time so that they can give information to patrollers as they’re responding to the incident.”
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